A joint investigation team (JIT) formed to investigate the Panama Papers case on the directions of the Supreme Court has prepared its report during the 11th meeting and likely to submit it to the Supreme Court on Monday.
In a six-member meeting, headed by FIA additional director general Wajid Zia at the Federal Judicial Academy, the JIT has prepared the report after examining documents produced by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the National Accountability Bureau, the Federal Board of Revenue, the Federal Investigation Agency and the statement of a journalist.
On May 10, JIT has summoned complete record of the 17-year-old Hudaibya Paper Mills scam from the National Accountability Bureau. Besides checking the record, JIT also examined statements of the prime minister and his sons which were produced before the five-member bench of the Supreme Court.
JIT also reviewed the speech of the prime minister delivered in the National Assembly. JIT found no clue in the speech to hold him dishonest. “He (prime minister) was not under oath when he delivered the speech, and the National Assembly is a forum where every person have a right to share his point of view and debate,” officials said.
“If delivering a ‘contradicting’ speech on the floor of the House is the reason to disqualify him, then no one would remain in the assembly,” they said. NAB had claimed that the prime minister and his family received over one billion rupees through ‘illegal and fraudulent means’ and that they were liable to be tried under anti-corruption laws, according to documents submitted by the accountability watchdog before the Supreme Court.
In its April 20 verdict on the Panama case, the court observed that the JIT may examine evidence and material, if any, already available with the FIA and NAB relating to or having any nexus with the possession or acquisition of the London flats or any other assets or pecuniary resources and their origin. The meeting was attended by JIT members Amer Aziz, Bilal Rasool, Brigadier Nauman Saeed, Brigadier Kamran Khursheed and Irfan Mangi.
